


Where the Sky Meets the Land

by Lalaith_Quetzalli



Series: Time River [6]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: BAMF Lydia Martin, BAMF Stiles, Bad Marin Morrell, Banshee Lydia Martin, Dimension Travel, F/M, Families of Choice, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Fix-It, Friendship, Hunters, M/M, Mage Stiles Stilinski, Nemeton, POV Third Person, Pack Family, Pack Feels, Parallel Universes, The Faceless Men, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, True Love, Witch Lydia Martin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 03:15:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19220455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalaith_Quetzalli/pseuds/Lalaith_Quetzalli
Summary: It is said that when one journey ends, another begins, but what about those who wish no to travel anymore, those who wish for a moment of respite, of quiet, of peace? A time comes when all people must make a choice, of the life they wish to live, what their future will be.





	Where the Sky Meets the Land

**Author's Note:**

> And here we are people! The response I got to the last piece... thank you so much! I love you all, and because I did promise... here we are. The time's come for this hell of a trip to come to an end, hope you've enjoyed the ride...
> 
> No one guessed what's coming, really, only one person tried, and even that was in the vaguest way possible. Even then, I'm sorry to disappoint you my dear, but it's not about Dany. I'll be dead serious here. Dany is a sort-of non-entity to me. I've read some fics where he's there, and he's great. Mostly he's there either because he's someone's mate (Ethan's, Cora's, Issac's, or even Jackson in one particular fic), or because he's magical and a great support for Stiles. Those weren't possible here. Here Lydia was the one there for Stiles every step of the way, she's his best-friend, his sister in all the ways that matter; there was no way to introduce anyone else, and I wanted to give their connection the place it deserved in this. I've no doubt that Dany was around, he was still Jackson's best-friend, but he just wasn't as important. Again, to those who truly love Dany, my apologies.
> 
> As for the actual surprise in this... when I posted the very first piece: 'A Kiss in a Dream', which ends with Stiles and Lydia being thrown back in time, and we don't yet know when they're going to land... I had most of my readers asking me for something, a very specific thing. I apologized in the next part for not being able to deliver, but Lydia and Stiles landed where they had to in order to make the story possible, any other point of time and the story wouldn't be what it is... and yet, I have to admit, my readers weren't the only one who wished and wondered and so... here we go now! (If for whatever the reason you still have no idea what I'm talking about, you'll find out soon enough). Without further ado, here we go, enjoy Time River's finale!

**Where the Sky Meets the Land**

Lydia lands with an 'oof' as the wind is knocked out of her rather abruptly. They were taken completely by surprise, and all she could do was roll into as tight a ball as she can and do her best to protect her head, neck and chest. Stiles, while as surprised as her, does have a level of physical skill that she lacks, which allows him to not just go into a ball but land and roll to absorb the impact. He also continues the roll until he's back on his feet, the mercury of his triquetra tattoo slithering down his arm and into his hand for him to wield as a weapon at a moment's notice.

Lydia, on the other hand, waits until she's sure she can breathe right before going to her knees, and then slowly onto her feet. Her skirt is torn on one side, her blouse more than a little dirty, but other than that she's quite alright. The jacket (and thank the spirits that she's long since learned not to go anywhere without that jacket on!) protected her for the most part. She'll have to pick a few sticks and leaves out of her hair, but she didn't actually hit her head, so it's alright.

"Fucking Morrell!" Stiles snarls, voice dripping venom.

Right, they were taken by surprise by none other than Marin-freaking-Morrell. Lydia would feel ashamed, or perhaps embarrassed, but in the end the anger is too great to allow for any other emotion. She knew Morrell was going to be a problem! Knew yet did nothing about it, because they had no 'probable cause'…

It's been two years since the confrontation between the Hale pack and the Alpha Pack. One that changed a great many things. After some conferring Derek decided to just exile the former-alpha twins, rather than hurt them further. He suggested they might want to head Northeast, to an old ally of Talia Hale's: Satomi Ito. She was alpha of her own pack, the closest to Beacon Hills, and might be willing to help the twins, give them a chance; something not many would do, knowing they'd killed their old pack (whatever their reasons might have been, few packs are willing to take in someone who's destroyed their whole pack).

Deaton died less than a week later, which brought about some trouble with Scott. Who had the gall to go to the sheriff to 'express his suspicions' about the Hales, and how he 'feared they were leading Stiles down the wrong path', and were probably responsible for Deaton's death. The boy completely forgot that Noah had been right there in that clearing, outside the warehouse the night the Argent hunters faced-off against the pack. He really didn't like it when Noah very calmly informed him that Derek and Peter couldn't have done anything as they were at the Stilinski place all week, reconnecting with the newly arrived Cora.

As it happened, it was pretty much Deaton's own fault he died. Knowing the implications of being judged by the Mother, he still tried to cheat, to steal power from the Nemeton. Under normal circumstances the Mother would have left him powerless; which he probably knew. He refused to accept that, he'd always had a fixation with power and obtaining it. So when he tried to cheat, the Mother let him take, not the purified power, but the poison left in the Nemeton. Deaton was dead before he realized his mistake.

Thankfully Chris Argent decided to take both Allison and Scott away for the summer. Took them with him to France, to the seat of power of the Argent Clan. Where older and wiser hunters taught the two teenagers the right way of doing things. Because apparently the majority of that Clan wasn't as psychotic as Gerard and Kate. The three returned to Beacon Hills at the end of the summer, with a formal apology from the Argent Matriarch: Cécile Argent and a request that Chris and the two teenagers be allowed to settle in Beacon Hills, with reassurances that the Hale Pack and their authority over Beacon Hills and the county as a whole would be respected. None of them really trusted the Argents, but refusing would have left the territory open for other hunters, so in the end… the 'devil that one knows' and all that. Things worked out fairly well, at least the Argents hadn't gone after any of them, and the few times they'd hunted Chris made sure to check in with either Derek or Stiles that the one they were going after wasn't there with permission. It worked well enough for them all.

The pack had taken the summer to fully establish themselves; Erica, Boyd and Issac taking the bite and, along with Jackson, learning how to be wolves. They all took to it like ducks to water. In a short time they became the pack Stiles and Lydia always knew they could be, yet hadn't had the chance to the first time around.

In the past two years they had only really had small troubles, nothing to put them in any real danger. Stiles had a bit of a panic when he remembered the Darach, about a week or so after the confrontation with the Alpha Pack, only for Peter to inform him the matter had been handled (he still remembered all the things Stiles had told him while he was in the hospital, he'd remembered the Darach, and when seeing a suspicious woman with terrible scars trying to do some obscure ritual at the remains of the Nemeton the night after Cora's return, Peter went ahead and killed her before she could so much as suspect how much things had changed).

There were no worries about the Dead Pool, as no one really had the access to the kind of funds that would be necessary to get such a thing done (also, once Stiles was at full power he began working on new wards that would ensure he'd know about any threat entering the territory before they had a chance to hurt them in any way). The threat of the Dread Doctors had been neutralized years earlier, with a very conveniently 'anonymous call' of a 'concerned citizen' regarding dangerous practices at Eichen House. The Sheriff Department, the Health Department, and even the FBI had fallen all over the psychiatric hospital, which was closed once authorities discovered the ideas some of the doctors had about the kind of experiments that should be allowed. So there were no dread doctors, no chimeras, no risk of the Beast of Gévaudan making an appearance, or the Wild-Hunt. And of course, the nogitsune had long since been neutralized.

Stiles and Lydia missed Kira. It was probably the one downside to all they had prevented. With no nogitsune, Noshiko Yukimura had no reason to move her family from New York to Beacon Hills, so the pack never met Kira. All the same, they hoped that meant the young kitsune would get the chance to develop her powers in a less traumatic manner.

And of course, there was Marin Morrell. No matter what they tried, what plans they came up with, in the end there was nothing they could do. Because Morrell hadn't been with the Alpha Pack the night of the attack, nor had she gone after any of them afterwards. She hadn't even intervened in the mess with Deaton. They all searched high and low but there was nothing that they might use against her. For all intents and purposes Marin Morrell was like any other citizen, a simple woman, counselor at the high-school, with somewhat exotic interests, but nothing more. And Noah drew the line at them making up something in order to go against her, or killing her without justification (Peter didn't like it but he apparently held Noah in high enough regard not to go behind the sheriff's back).

A part of Stiles had actually hoped that Morrell might leave them alone this time around. That she might realize how bad an idea it would be to antagonize them and just live her life and let them live theirs… he should have known he was asking for too much. The bitch was too power-hungry in the end. And of course that meant trouble for them all.

"Where the hell are we?" Stiles asks, trying to dust himself as much as possible.

"Exactly where we were before Morrell's spell backfired… or whatever the hell it did there at the end." Lydia answers, uncomfortable.

"Not possible." Stiles shakes his head emphatically. "Lyds, this isn't our Nemeton!"

As he says it he waves a hand at the dark stump beside the both of them. It's so dark it seems to be almost absorbing the light all around it.

"No, but it is a Nemeton." Lydia states calmly.

"A…" Stiles cuts off as his mind comprehends the implication. "What the fuck?! Time travel is not possible, just not possible Lydia! Not in any other way but the one we did it in any case, which is impossible anyway seeing how last time I checked the world wasn't ending!"

"Stiles… Stiles breathe!"

It takes Stiles longer than he's willing to admit to get himself under control. He knows it's not Lydia's fault. It's no one's fault but the bitch that did the spell that somehow ended with all of them there. But truth is Stiles is tense, has been tense for a while. Good as the last couple of years have been for him, for the whole pack, that doesn't mean they've been easy.

It was easy to forget sometimes that just because his dad understood that he and Lydia weren't really teenagers, that didn't mean the rest of the town did. It was made even harder when certain individuals who were once considered friends, almost family, set out to make life even harder for him, for all of them.

Stiles hadn't thought much of it the first time he and Derek went out for lunch together, following the declaration of their feelings. It wasn't anything huge, they just went together to their favorite diner in town, had burgers and curly fries, and afterwards shared a huge sundae. She could see Mandy, Stiles's favorite waitress, practically doing heart-eyes as she watched them. And old Mrs. McCallister, the old cook, even went out, spatula in hand, to warn Derek about 'treating her boy right'. Stiles blushed, Derek sputtered and they all had fun.

Days later came the trouble. Stiles had decided to work as a volunteer at the hospital again. Mostly to have something to do. While Derek assured him he was always welcome with the pack. Noah had pointed out how it'd be a good idea for all of them to be more visible in town. There was less chance for the hunters to ever move against them if they were known and respected members of the community. Which was why Stiles was a volunteer at the hospital, Derek had joined the force as Noah's newest deputy, Peter was in the process of reopening his firm, with Jackson's help (which had the additional benefit of making his father happy that Jackson was finally interested in Law, and allowing him to stay in BH when he got that offer in London), Erica got a summer job at the flower-shop, while Boyd did the same at the auto-shop and Issac at the library, Malia took turns doing some secretary work at the Sheriff's station, and other times at Peter's firm while Cora attended summer school to be on the same level as the rest of the teens.

The trouble came when Rona and several of the other nurses cornered Stiles on his second day back as a volunteer. Supposedly they were worried about him and the things the 'older boy' might be getting him into. And it didn't matter how many times Stiles insisted that everything was just fine, they were convinced he was too young to know better, that he needed to be protected. That little episode had ended with him blowing up at Melissa, as it was she who 'recruited' the rest of the nurses into doing an intervention.

" _I'm just trying to help you Stiles!" She snapped at him, angry that Stiles wasn't thankful._

" _Really?!" It hurt Stiles, the way she was acting; Melissa was as good as a second mother to him, and for her to treat him like that... "Tell me something Ms. McCall, when was the last time you saw me?" He didn't even wait for an answer. "I'll tell you, it was over nine months ago, the last time Scott ended at the hospital due to the asthma. Wanna know why? Because after finding himself better, Scott forgot all about me. He became Mr. Popular, found himself a girl, other friends and he no longer cared for little-old-me. But that's alright, it's not like I was jealous of him or anything. The thing is. You didn't notice that Scott and I no longer hung out. I could bet you've no idea who he hangs out with nowadays. Yet when Scott went and told you that Derek was wrong for me, or whatever the hell else he told you, you took it at face value. Rather than ask me what was going on, you decided to recruit Rona and the others to, what? Tell me that you know better even though it's my own freaking life?! Do you think so little of me that you think I would be so stupid to get into a bad relationship? Do you think so little of my father that you believe he wouldn't know if I need help? I love you Melissa, I do, you've been like a second mother to me, but truth is that you don't know me anymore. And you don't care to."_

_That was the part that hurt the most. If she had gone to him. Had expressed her worry, asked if he was alright, he'd have understood; Stiles would have even appreciated it, knowing she still cared. But the way she went about it… all she managed to do was treat him like a little kid._

_Stiles quit his volunteer work before the end of the week. And to prove a point, he spent the next couple of weeks dropping lunch for both his dad and boyfriend at the station, kissing Derek in front of everyone (short, tender, chaste kisses). Everyone knew what he was doing and why, and Noah even made a point to make everyone aware that yes, he knew Derek was dating his son, there was nothing untoward going on and he approved._

Lydia saved Stiles from going nuts out of boredom that summer, as the two ended signing up for online college courses; which they also continued after the end of the summer. They wouldn't graduate early, nowhere near ready or willing to leave the pack behind, but still, it helped.

By the time Stiles turned eighteen, early on in their senior year, all of Beacon Hills had long since grown used to the fact that the Sheriff's son was dating deputy Derek Hale, and they were pretty serious about it. Also, he was planning on finishing his online Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice (from the California State University in Sacramento) at the same time he got a degree in Liberal Studies. He could have gotten into many other colleges, both in and out of State, but the thing was, he didn't want to. He had already done the whole, 'going to the other coast', had the 'college experience', and it hadn't been that great. Now he was happy, with Derek, and the pack. Lydia was still going to MIT and Jackson to Harvard, and once they were done there they'd be returning to Beacon Hills. Malia was going with him to Sacramento. Erica and Boyd weren't interested in college, happy enough to take their part-time jobs to full time and continue as they had (they were also soon to marry), while Issac and Cora would be attending the closest Community College, not interested in more than that. Dany… while he knew about the pack, he never became really close with anyone other than Jackson and had several companies fighting to have him work for them, even before college! So he was likely leaving BH to never return.

In any case, with so many of them, especially Stiles himself, about to leave Beacon Hills for an extended period of time, they decided some changes needed to be made to the wards. They needed other ways to know when someone entered the territory, as Stiles wouldn't be there to deal with the early warnings. So they set to changing the wards, never expecting someone to try and take advantage, believing them to be vulnerable. Lydia and Stiles had gone to the site of the Nemeton, where the remains of the old tree-stump had finally returned fully to the ground, which meant that in due time, another tree, a new Nemeton would take its place. Still, it was the best place to do magic concerning the wards, as it was the center of the ley-lines. The last thing they expected was to find none other than Marin Morrell, trying to lay claim to the power in the place. Stiles reacted instinctively, seeking to stop her and then… something happened. Next thing they knew Stiles and Lydia were landing on the dirt-ground beside the stump of the Nemeton…

"We need to get to the town." Lydia decides. "We need to find out when we are exactly."

"This is insane Lyds," Stiles ran a hand through his hair in a nervous tick. "How are we even going to get back home? Can we even get back home? What if…?"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Lydia calls until she has Stiles's full attention. "We will find a way. I don't know what it'll be yet. But we're still here, and we're not the kind to give up. If we didn't give up on the face of the end of the world, we won't give up now. Our mates won't give up on us either. We'll find our way back home."

The next surprise comes when the pair manages to step out of the forest and onto the highway, to find a car waiting for them, with a woman behind the wheel.

"Nana?!" Lydia exclaims, unable to control herself.

"Hello my darling," Lorraine greets her with a warm smile. "Everyone's in a tizzy since you got here." She turns her eyes to Stiles. "Young mage…"

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Martin." Stiles recovers as fast as possible.

"Get in my darlings." Lorraine orders. "We have much to do if you're to stop the black witch before she ruins this world irremediably."

"Morrell is here?!" Stiles hisses even as he climbs into the back of the car, he's not even sure why he's surprised.

It turns out that Lorraine knows a lot. She's a banshee, not quite on the same level as Lydia (then again, Stiles doubts anyone ever has or ever will be at Lydia's level), but well in-tune with the supernatural. She tells them they've landed in January, the 21st. Until the day before Lorraine had been hearing whispers about a great tragedy coming their way, and then… the moment Stiles and Lydia arrived all whispers stopped, it's like no one knows anymore what's going to happen.

Lydia cannot miss the way Stiles tenses when her grandmother mentions the date:

"Stiles…" She murmurs, worried.

"It's the 21st…" Stiles gasps. "We're four days away from the Wolf Moon…"

The night when Kate Argent killed the Hales, the night Derek lost most of his family.

"You cannot ask me to stand back and do nothing Lydia." Stiles murmurs, voice tight due to the knot in his throat. "I… I know there's nothing I can do for my mom. Hers was a natural death, much as I might hate to admit it. Even now, the tumor will already be in her head. I cannot do anything for her, it would probably go against the Fates, most will argue that it's her time, I've accepted that. But the Hales? You cannot tell me that was in any way natural. And I know that this is not our universe, what we do here won't change anything in our own world, but I cannot be here, on this date, and do nothing. I cannot fathom going back home, facing my mate, and tell him I had the chance to save a version of his family and did nothing. I cannot…"

"Okay." It takes a while, and several repetitions for Stiles to process what Lydia's saying.

"Okay?" Stiles echoes, not quite believing what he just heard.

"Nana says that the Fates are giving us carte blanche." Lydia explains. "From the moment Morrell came to this world, its destiny was up for grabs. She's interfered in events that were meant to be, and because of that, so can we."

"What's the catch?" Because it all sounds too good to be true.

"Well, Morrell is still here too, she's likely to interfere, so we'll have to be careful with that." Lydia points out the obvious. "Also, we cannot stay here long. We're too powerful and there's already a version of us with our same potential existing in this dimension. No dimension will be able to hold two of each of us for any real length of time. We have at most a fortnight before the situation becomes untenable."

"So, what's the plan then?" He asks.

"Well, we'll be staying with Nana at the Lake Cabin." Lydia explains. "She sensed us coming so she's told people that a nephew and niece of Maddy would be visiting her for a few days. So if anyone sees us we're Miko and Lilla Wójcik."

Stiles cannot help the way his nose twitches. He knows Lorraine had to have used his real name as a basis for that one. It's not as bad as it could be, but still not what he would prefer. Then again, he cannot use the name Stiles, that one is too distinctive, and the last thing he needs is to call undue attention to the ten-year-old child version of himself.

"Okay." Stiles nods, turning to Lorraine. "Thanks for your help ma'am."

"The pleasure is all mine young man, if all goes well you'll leave my world far better than what it would have been without your intervention." Lorraine states with a small smile. "Also, I'm delighted to get the chance to see my granddaughter all grown up…"

Stiles knows Lorraine, or their version of her at least, died when Lydia was in her early teens, and that was after spending over a year as a patient in Eichen House, after losing all touch with reality. It makes him wonder if they, or at least Lydia, might be able to change that too.

"Nana and I will try to find a way to get us back to our universe before our presence here becomes a problem, and you'll find a way to save the pack." Lydia finishes.

Stiles nods. He doesn't even need to think about it. He knows exactly what he's going to do.

**xXx**

On Sunday evening Stiles steps out of the old warehouse in the industrial sector of Beacon Hills and calmly walks straight from there and into the forest, the magic in his boots ensuring he'll leave no footprints or tracks of any kind. He's completely calm, not bothered at all by what he's left behind in that warehouse, though he knows a few people will be deeply disturbed once they find it. The 'it' being none other than Kate Argent, laid out on a table, dead, with no outward sign of damage… other than the fact that she has no face. That and an old and crude-looking silver coin engraved with the profile of a faceless head working as a calling card of sorts.

Both details will connect Kate's murder to the Order of the Faceless Men. An ancient religious guild of assassins, said to have existed since before the world, the continents, were as they were known nowadays, before known history. They venerated Death as a god, believing that every religion in existence had a version of the god of death or, in the case of monotheistic religions, they venerated death in one form or another. Therefore Death was a god with many faces, and no face at all. The Faceless Men were meant to be acolytes of that religion, and they venerated their god by sharing the 'gift' of death. The order had almost completely disappeared before known history, almost, but not completely.

Stiles knew because he met one of them, back when he was in the last phase of his training to be a federal agent. He'd been invited to an operation, they were busting a human-trafficking ring (suspected of dealing with children of supernaturals) mostly as an observer. It was the first time they invited him since the mess where Derek almost ended killed (back in his first year of training) and Stiles took it very seriously, knowing he couldn't mess it up. He hadn't been expecting to see the blonde man protecting several girls (witches, as Stiles would later learn). Stiles was the only one who saw the mobster about to shoot in their direction; he wasn't supposed to get involved, he was supposed to only observe… but he was never the kind to stand back and do nothing, especially not when someone was in danger. So Stiles didn't think much about it when he pulled out his own gun and shot, one single bullet, and took down the mobster. He had to endure his supervisor nearly screaming his ear off, and being forced to do a hell of a lot of paperwork as he justified his actions six ways from Sunday; but in the end he also got a commendation for quick thinking and good aim. He also ended, unexpectedly, with a man following him around, claiming to owe him a debt, two lives, for those Stiles had saved.

Stiles hadn't thought much of the man at first. Thinking him nothing more than some kind of paganist or practitioner, or whatever. Even when the man kept popping in wherever Stiles might be every few weeks and asking for names, Stiles mostly ignored him. He did look up what little the man gave him, found out all there was about the Faceless Men, little as the information was. It intrigued him, that most insisted the Order to either be extinct, or nothing more than a fanciful tale of men that never existed.

He did learn a few things from the man. Which he insisted on teaching Stiles as a way to try and pay back the debt, since Stiles wouldn't give him names. It was from him that Stiles learned how to lie without anything giving him away. He'd been quite good at twisting the truth beforehand, thanks to being around werewolves so much and the way they could hear his heartbeat and detect lies, Stiles had forced himself to learn. But there was a difference between twisting the truth in order to conceal something and outright lying and not getting caught. The last time Stiles saw the man was the day before he quit the FBI, right as everything finally went to hell. He would never forget that last conversation:

" _You know, I think I might actually miss you." Stiles had admitted with a small smile._

" _A boy cannot miss one who's no one." The man had replied evenly._

" _Yes, even with your headache inducing speech patterns, I will still miss you." Stiles had replied with a bigger smile. "I will never understand you, but then again, I've long since grown used to not understanding things."_

" _A boy is wise when he accepts that not all can be understood."_

" _I really could have never been one of you." Stiles had shaken his head._

" _A boy cannot be Faceless when he refuses to be no one."_

" _Indeed, and I refuse to stop being who and what I am. I'm happy being Stiles Stilinski."_

" _Even though a boy conceals his own name, and still owes two names to the Many-Faced God."_

" _Don't you think enough people have died already? And a hell of a lot more will die before the end. I cannot even think about being the reason for more deaths."_

" _All will die before the end, that is why it will be the end. But the end will not come when most expect it to. A boy and a girl may change the course of Fate yet…" The man had shaken his head. "A boy will not give names then?"_

" _No, I will not. But if I may, if you find someone whose death would help save lives, consider those to be the names I owe."_

" _It goes against tradition, for names to be chosen thus, but a man will do as a boy has asked."_

It was the last time Stiles saw him, though as he was leaving Quantico the next day he couldn't help but overhear some whispers about their boss and how he hadn't been to work that day. A part of Stiles did wonder… but in the end he needed all his focus to get away from there without being arrested for suspicious behavior or something, so he pushed it to the back of his mind and eventually mostly forgot about it.

If Stiles were to be completely honest (which he tries to be, at least with himself), he didn't really think much about the man after leaving the FBI. Even when he and Lydia jumped to the past… not until much later, when one of his nightmares reminded him of that particular conversation, he couldn't help but wonder how much the man might have known of the future. Still, it wasn't like he could ask. He researched the Order once, when he had nothing better to do and was getting bored, didn't find much more than the first time around, but still, it was interesting.

Stiles wasn't even sure what made him think about the Order exactly, but the memory gave him an idea. Not specifically in regards to killing Kate Argent, he always knew he was going to do that, from the moment he realized they had a chance at saving the Hale pack. He knew he couldn't just stop Kate, he had to ensure she wouldn't be coming after the Hales, not then, and not ever. It wasn't like he could take the blame, and not only because of his younger self; but neither could he give the hunters nothing, if he did that he had no doubt Gerard would find a way to blame the Hales and go after them himself. There was still a chance that might happen. But the Faceless Men… the Argents would know who those were, and that there was no way for them to know why Kate had been targeted exactly. No one knew why the Faceless Men accepted certain targets and not others, and while they were said to charge greatly for any kill, it was also said that most of the time it wasn't money they were interested in. So he didn't even need to give a reason; just, the lack of a face on the body and the engraved coin would be enough to point the Argents in that direction. It was insane, no matter how one looked at it, and it wasn't like Stiles was actually a Faceless Man or anything, but as long as the Argents believed it, that would be enough. And not like the Argents knew anyone from the Order well enough to confirm or deny anything.

Stiles walks through the preserve for a while, not yet ready to go back to the cabin. It's not that he feels bad about what he did. Though a part of him cannot help but think that part should actually bother him. But it's been a long time since he's seen Kate Argent (any version of her) as truly human, as deserving of anything other than death. It's not like he derived any particular pleasure from killing her; he doesn't enjoy killing, but he does understand that sometimes it might be necessary in order to protect those he considers his. Strictly speaking the Hale pack in that universe might not be his, but they're still a version of his pack, they are a Derek's pack, and Derek is and will always be his true mate. There's simply no reality in which he wouldn't do anything for him to be happy. Even if Derek may never know it…

Eventually he finds himself on the edge of the preserve, looking at a street he knows well, his street. At the end of it is a park. Where he comes from it's abandoned and has been for close to a decade but in this world, in this time, it's still in good enough condition and right there, sitting on a bench, is the reason for him being there: Claudia Stilinski nee Wójcik… his mother. The mother he lost so long ago is sitting right there, at the beginning of the end.

Stiles didn't notice it when he was the child playing in the park. He didn't miss the fact that something was wrong with his mom, of course he didn't, he wasn't that oblivious. The way she began forgetting things. So he made a point of always staying near his mom, he made sure to memorize the right way home, so when they went on an errand or another, he knew how to get back home, in case she ever forgot. He was right there in the kitchen when his mom would cook, supposedly because he wanted to learn, though the truth was he wanted to make sure they wouldn't end with completely blackened food and a burnt pot, again. He convinced his mom to make all sorts of lists, she thought it was his way of coping with the ADHD, but it was his way of making sure they wouldn't forget anything (since he wasn't yet old enough to know all they needed to get). He had known all that, but he hadn't known what it meant. Even when his dad was finally forced to take his wife to the hospital and she stayed there, Stiles still hadn't understood. No one would tell him why his mom wouldn't return home…

And there she is, just a day away from going to the hospital, from leaving home and never returning. Stiles knows he's torturing himself. Like he told Lydia, there's nothing he can do for his mom, he's painfully aware of that. Her death was natural, as terrible as that might be. Even if he were to reveal himself to the Hale pack (and not end up getting killed), if he managed to convince Talia… there's no guarantee that the bite would take, and the chances of it helping her condition at all aren't high. Frontotemporal dementia is a degenerative disease, there's no guarantee she would be healed… and if there were a magical solution he'd have found it already. He really would have, he researched it, extensively. Terrified that he might have been able to do something if he'd just been aware of his magic earlier. Eventually he was forced to accept that no matter how powerful he might be and all the resources he might have at his reach, there's nothing he could have done to save his mom.

Still, a part of Stiles just wants, needs to see her. To remind himself of what she looked like before she forgot so much she stopped being the mother he loved (never stopped loving, even if she was no longer herself, not really), before she forgot him… so that's why he's there, like he was the two previous days, watching from the shadows. It's a bit stalker-ish on his part, he knows, and if his dad or someone else from the sheriff's office finds him he'll be in a hell of a lot of trouble, but in that moment he just cannot bring himself to care.

**xXx**

Stiles takes walks on Monday and Tuesday, making sure to walk by the sheriff's office, it's until Tuesday afternoon that he hears anyone talking about Kate's murder, apparently her body's just been found. That shocks him, while at the same time confirming that she was mostly alone in the actual planning of the Hale fire; otherwise someone would have noticed her absence earlier. In any case, several deputies are talking none-too-quietly about the bizarre case, it's clear that nothing close to exciting has happened in Beacon Hills in years, probably decades, and Kate's murder is freaky enough to keep everyone's attention.

Even after that Stiles cannot help but spend Tuesday night awake. Sitting on the window-seat of the little bedroom he's using in the cabin, all his senses focused on the ley-lines and the distant howling. He finally falls asleep shortly after moonset, satisfied that it has worked.

Wednesday comes, then Thursday, and Lydia still doesn't seem to have a solution for them going back home. He's also apparently getting on their nerves, for a moment comes when Lydia gets on his face and tells him in a very no-nonsense tone to go take a walk. Stiles rolls his eyes, but he knows better than to mess with Lydia when she's exercising her genius, so he wishes them luck and walks out. When running errands he tends to take Lorraine's car, as she's always offering it, but any other time he'd rather walk. Even if the woods around aren't his woods, he still feels a bit at peace in them, so he goes.

He doesn't plan to end up at the old park at the end of his street, but somehow he does anyway. And that's when he gets the first big shock of this trip. When he sees his mom sitting on the same bench as always, laughing at something or other the ten-year-old version of himself just did. She's there! She's laughing! She's not in the hospital! Stiles has no idea what the hell is going on! His shock is so great he doesn't even realize when his feet lead him straight to the bench until he's standing just by it, less than five feet away from Claudia.

"I was wondering if you would ever leave the shadows and come talk to me." She says, not quite looking at him, though it's clear she's talking to him.

"I… I didn't… I… what?!" Stiles is completely at a loss for words, not exactly the norm for him.

"I know who you are Mischief." Claudia tells him, finally turning to look at him. "Do you truly believe I could lay eyes on my son and not know him?"

"But I… I don't understand." Stiles admits very softly.

He feels so lost right then. Like when he was eleven and sat curled up at the end of his mom's hospital bed, Melissa McCall trying to coax him off there, trying to explain to him that he could not stay, that his mom was gone and not coming back. But Stiles just couldn't let go, it felt to him like, if he did, he would be giving up on his mom, would be turning his back on her, as if he were killing her himself… it was completely irrational of course, but Stiles never claimed to be the most rational person…

"Your lady-friend came to see me on Saturday." Claudia explains. "She said that she's as good as your sister, and that she knows how much you love me, and thus couldn't just stand back and do nothing." She smiled softly at Stiles. "She cannot heal me of course. What I have has no cure. But she gave me something, a tincture. Said it would protect the part of my brain that holds all my precious memories. So I won't forget anything else. No matter how bad things get, I'll never forget you, or your dad, or myself…"

Stiles cannot help himself, he bursts into tears, dropping into the bench, where Claudia embraces him without thought, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"It's alright mój ukochany (my darling)," Claudia whispers into his ear as she sways back and forth with him in her arms. "I am here… Mama's here…"

All Stiles can do is hold back as tightly as he dares and cry. He cries all the tears he's been holding back since about a month after the funeral, when he realized that his dad was as lost without Claudia as Stiles himself was, and if they were going to survive the loss of her one of them would have to step up, be brave and take care of things. His dad was in no state to do it, so Stiles did his best to push all the pain as far into the back of his mind as he could, took a deep breath and became the caretaker in the family. He knows his dad regrets that, regrets not being the father he should have been, regrets all the ways Stiles was forced to grow up too soon. Stiles does too, in some ways, but in others… he's quite sure that the only reason he survived some of the things the universe has thrown at him is because of all the things he was forced to learn after the loss of his mom.

Still, it feels good, letting it all out, grieving the way he hasn't allowed himself to in so long. What feels even better is to have his mom right there, whispering all sort of polish endearments into his ear. He's missed that so much! And the thought that there's a version of himself that will not have to suffer his beloved mother forgetting him, looking at him like a strange like a… it brings him great comfort, even if it's not him exactly.

When the sun sets and Claudia has to return home with the ten-year-old version of Stiles, the older boy promises to meet her at the park every day he's in that universe, he wants the chance to make as many memories with her as he can before leaving. Then he takes the long way back to the cabin, where he places a cup of Lydia's favorite jasmine tea on the table before embracing her tight, pressing his forehead against her neck.

"Thank you…" He whispers into her skin, voice damp with all the tears he's cried through the day, yet he feels not an ounce of shame for them.

"You're welcome." Lydia smiles as she answers, both the words and the hug.

There's a part of Stiles, a hurt that had existed for so long, that's finally, at long last healed. It's something he could have never imagined, and is so very grateful for it… really there's a reason he's loved Lydia since he was about eleven or twelve. Even if for a while there he confused the kind of love he felt for her, he got it right eventually. Lydia is his sister and she always will be.

**xXx**

Of course, because it's too much to ask that things be solved easily, Gerard Argent arrives on Friday, and he immediately begins making threatening noises towards the Hales. He's convinced that they're somehow connected to his daughter's murder even though, until he screamed those things at Talia and Zachery in the middle of Main Street the Hales hadn't even known that his daughter was in town, much less that she was dead. Well, Derek knew, though he did not know that Kathy Vermeil was Kate Argent. Learning that has apparently been enough to traumatize Derek to the point where he's hardly left the house in days (still better than having to suffer through the loss of all but one member of his pack, or so Stiles tells himself).

It all comes to a head on Sunday night. If Stiles is perfectly honest he's not even surprised. The Sheriff asked the Hales (the ones from out of town, whom everyone believed were visiting for Talia's mother's birthday) to stay around for a few days, while they looked into Mr. Argent's accusations, and Talia agreed. Lydia was sure that was mostly because she knew that if any wolves were to try to leave the hunters would have pursued, and there was safety in numbers, especially with the human authorities keeping an eye on things. Of course, they should have known Gerard was insane enough to act even with so many eyes on him. The sun set a few hours earlier, but the moon has yet to rise when Lydia rushes out of the cabin to where Stiles is burning some time engraving a crude silver coin with the symbol for the Faceless Men. Just in case he were to need it. He doesn't even need her to say a word, they know each other all too well. A single thought is enough for the leather jacket to fly towards him and the moment he's slipped it on he's extending a hand towards Lydia, who takes it without hesitation. A single step, and they're both inside the telluric currents.

It's insane. Stiles has never taken someone else with him when traversing the currents, not even Derek. But there's no time for them to run there, not if they wish to save everyone. So they'll do what they do best, take a risk and hope it's worth it.

Stiles steps out of the currents easily, Lydia trips a bit but in the end her own grace, and Stiles's fast reflexes help her regain her balance in a fraction of a second. Stiles is about to say something about it when the smell hits them: smoke, thick and heavy… the two teenagers look at each other for a fraction of a second, eyes wide, and then they're running.

They make it out of the preserve and into the clearing to a scene straight out of a nightmare. The Hale house is on fire, there's howling and screaming from inside. Stiles and Lydia with their own experiences, can clearly pick up on the differences in the voices between human and wolves, between adults and children and their blood runs cold. Of course Stiles has read the sheriff's report on the fire, he knows how many people were inside, how many of them were minors. But it's very different to intellectually know that eight people were burned alive inside a house, and to actually hear them…

Stiles can hear Talia roaring as she slams against the open door of the house, trying and failing to get out. His mind instantly focuses on that. He needs to focus, it's not too late yet. He rushes towards the house, intent on finding the circle of mountain ash and breaking it, when a fireball is aimed his way.

But Stiles is not alone, and his pack will always have his back. Before the fireball can get truly close to him Lydia is there, deflecting it straight back at its origin with a wave of her hand.

"I'll handle her you go get the pack out!" Lydia instructs even as she takes a deep breath to center herself, her whole attention on her chosen opponent.

Stiles takes a moment to register it's Morrell and the implications of that, but he pushes it aside a moment later. Lydia is more than powerful and clever enough to deal with a witch like Marin Morrell, and he has other priorities. A wave of his hand has the mountain ash tattoo act almost like a beacon, allowing him to find the circle keeping the Hale pack inside the burning house. Once he's found it it's simply a matter of focusing and waving his hand, and the circle is broken.

Talia is so surprised she actually stumbles, before freezing and turning towards Stiles in shock.

"No time for questions you need to get out now!" Stiles yells at them. "Get out of the house!"

He doesn't know if its the magic or his own position as alpha-mate in his own pack (or survival instincts finally kicking in), but as one all of the Hales are rushing through the door and out of the house. Stiles keeps an eye on them, especially the children. He vaguely notices when Peter and two other adults rush past the rest of the family and into the trees, probably going after whatever hunters might be in the vicinity. It will be problematic if hunters die at the hands (or rather claws) of wolves, but Stiles will focus on that later, when the whole pack isn't at risk of being burnt alive before his eyes!

"Who are you?" A woman asks him, curious.

Stiles blinks. She's petite (probably no more than five feet, if that!), with small blue eyes, blonde hair in loose curls that reach about her shoulder-blades and she's very heavily pregnant. It hits Stiles then, that he's looking at Via, Olivia Hale, Peter's wife… he's heard all about it, of course. How Peter lost his wife and their unborn child in the fire, how much it hurt him, unhinged him. And it's not like he wasn't aware of who they were saving when he went after Kate… but he never expect to actually look at them… at her.

Stiles's line of thought is completely derailed as his breath is actually knocked out of him. It takes him a moment or two to realize what just happened. He sensed rather than heard the shot and reacted on pure instinct, by angling himself in such a way that the bullet hit him on his back instead of the very pregnant woman in front of him.

Via shrieks, but Stiles ignores her as he spins around on one foot, hand already extending and calling onto the magical tattoo on his shoulder blade, the mercury coming alive and slithering down his arm before shooting straight at his target. By the time he lays eyes on the shooter he's already down, blood running down the front of his face from the perfectly round hole in between his eyes where the mercury pierced through, like a spike.

"Dad!" Chris Argent is suddenly there, horrified and gun in hand.

Stiles doesn't even blink as the gun is aimed at him. He can hear Via eep and how one of the other Hales pulls her back to protect her. He steps away from them, not wanting any stray bullet to end up hurting her, or her baby. He's the one wearing something close to body-armor, after all.

"Who are you?!" Chris demands of Stiles. "Why did you do that?"

"A man has no name." Stiles answers automatically, doing his best to imitate the old speech patterns. "You question why a man kills a hunter, but not why the hunter tried first to kill a man. That's rather short-sighted."

"What…?" Chris is clearly flabbergasted.

For all answer Stiles fishes the coin he was engraving earlier and after throwing it into the air and catching it again a couple of times throws it straight at Chris. The hunter catches it with obvious skill, but the moment he turns it in his hand and sees the engraving on the opposite side he drops it, as if burned.

"You're the Faceless Man." Chris exclaims in shock. He still has his gun in hand, but he's hesitating. "You're the one who killed Kate! But why?"

"Again the wrong question." Stiles replies. "Questioning why a man would kill a hunter, yet not what a hunter might do to deserve it."

"What could they have possibly done?!" Chris demands.

"Tell me, hunter, what happens to a wolf who breaks the Code?"

"They die!"

"And what about a hunter who breaks the Code?"

There is no answer to that, but then again, it's not like Stiles was expecting one. It was something that the Argent Matriarch mentioned the one time Stiles ended being half-forced into a meeting with her. It wasn't that bad, they signed a treaty that was meant to prevent anything like the fire, like Kate and Gerard, from happening ever again. Still Cécile Argent was a very terrifying woman and Stiles had more than a healthy amount of respect for her.

"Hunters claim to be all about justice, about the Code, but what about those who break it? What about those wolves that might seek justice? Who could possibly give it to them without fear of reprisal from hunters who believe they have a right to be judge, jury and executioner?"

"A man with no face and no name." Chris answers, finally connecting the dots the way Stiles always wanted him to. "The Faceless Men."

"You know a man does not lie." Stiles says for good measure. "You may not like it, but you know. You have known for a while."

Chris just lowers his head in grief. Stiles knows he's right. Chris knows, he just hadn't dared do anything about it. Either too afraid of making things worse, or perhaps even fearing for what may happen to his own family, his daughter, if his father ever came to see him as an enemy… Stiles has no doubt that Gerard would have been capable of the worst kind of things, even against his own blood, if he believed them to be enemies of him and his cause.

"Are you after anyone else in my family?" Chris dares ask after a long silence.

"A man with no name is not after lives, only after justice; our justice may not be the kindest, but it is at times quite necessary. The gift of death is not given lightly." Stiles has a very hard time keeping to the speech patterns and the even voice, not letting his emotions through; but he knows it's necessary to keep the charade. "Speak to your Matriarch, let her lead when you fail to find the way, and may Hunters never give those with no name a cause to seek them out again."

He knows that if anyone can stop Victoria Argent going off the deep end it's Cécile. For a hunter the Matriarch is alright. She understands the essence of the Code, and while it was certainly a failure of hers not to see how deeply her brother-in-law (Gerard) had fallen, and how he took Kate with him, Stiles knows that the sudden change in the alpha of the loup-garou made for some chaotic years in Europe, especially when the new alpha kept herself hidden out of fear of reprisals for a while. Causing an uncertainty and a vacuum of power that the Hunters had no way to fix, not until the new alpha and her mate stepped out of the shadows and owned to their new position. Then again, he knows that sometimes even those that are meant to be alphas may not be ready for it, may struggle to find their footing. It's not a crime to feel insecure. In any case, if Stiles's memory is correct Vivian and Aiden will be coming out of the shadows sometime in the Spring; which means that if Chris waits until the summer before moving (which would be logical if he wants to avoid calling attention), that'll be enough time for the Matriarch to have settled things back in Europe and turn her attention to her dead sister's remaining family.

"Stiles!" Lydia's voice pulls him out of his ruminations.

It's probably a good thing that Chris has left already. They really don't need him getting curious about him and Lydia… it wouldn't be safe for their younger selves. He and Lydia glamoured themselves practically from the moment they arrived, making them look more like they did in the other universe, it was the best choice as it's an appearance they could hold up without having to think too hard about it, yet it's still unlikely that their other selves will look exactly like that (as Lydia is unlikely to ever dye her hair black, and he really hopes the other version of him will never get a skull fracture that will change his face like that… it was miraculous enough that Stiles survived that when it happened to him).

Stiles turns towards Lydia, seeing the remains of Morrell still burning just beside her. Of course she won that fight, there was never a doubt in Stiles's mind. After all, Morrell only fancied herself a witch, Lydia's everything the other woman only wishes she could be.

"You saved us…" Talia speaks up, looking at them with a mix of wonder and doubt. "Why?"

Stiles exhales, contemplating how to answer that question exactly, when suddenly everything changes, with a piercing pain to his chest that makes him double over so sharply he almost drops to the ground. Lydia rushes to him.

"Sti…!" Lydia begins, only halfway through remembering that they aren't supposed to use their real names before anyone other than Lorraine.

"Der…" Stiles gasps, pressing a fist against his chest, panting. It takes him a few heartbeats to recover and straighten up, and even then he can still feel the phantom pain. "The connection is reasserting itself."

"Yes, I can feel my mate too…" Lydia nods with a small smile.

"Yeah well, if you get any hint from the younger version of him, it's not a huge thing," Stiles points out in a very blasé tone. "Me on the other hand…"

"Oh…" Lydia understands it then.

Stiles is on the move before he can think better about it. He walks away from Lydia, moving right through the lose formation of the Hale pack and to where a sixteen year old Derek is sitting on the forest floor, head buried in between his knees, basically having a panic attack. His sisters are on either side of him, though it's clear neither of them really know what to do or how to help him. Stiles ignores Cora's hesitant looks and Laura's low growls as he goes to kneel before Derek.

"Derek, Derek look at me!" Stiles orders, lacing his voice with just a tiny bit of magic, and leaning a bit on his power as alpha mate (without actually touching the bond, not wanting to influence him unduly). "Look at me." Once he's done that, he takes the teen-aged were's hand and presses it against his own chest, just above his heart. "Feel my heartbeat, feel my breathing, follow it. You're having a panic attack. There's nothing wrong with it, anyone in your position would be overwhelmed but you need to focus, and you need to breathe before you black out. Follow my breathing. I know you can do it. Breathe with me…"

It takes a little while, but eventually it works. Derek starts breathing, first harsh, too quick gasps, but eventually they even out and he stops looking like he's about to pass out. Even then Stiles doesn't move, he stays where he is. He knows the whole pack's eyes are on him but he doesn't care. Derek needs him, even if the teenager before him isn't his Derek, he's still a version of his mate, and Stiles will never not help him.

"Thank you…" Derek whispers after what seems like forever. "Though I don't know why…"

"I know you, better than you might expect." Stiles admits softly. "Though I suppose it'd be more correct to say I know a version of you."

"Time travel?! / A parallel universe?!" Several of the Hales call out at the same time.

"A bit of both." Stiles admits with a kind smile, eyes never straying from Derek. "I didn't exactly plan this, plan to ever have to explain anything…" He chuckles to himself. "Then again, my version of you would say I tend to act without thinking. He wouldn't be exactly wrong either. But I could sense your distress, and it's not something I could ignore."

Derek's brow furrowed and Stiles could tell he was biting his tongue not to say exactly what he thought about all that; mainly how unworthy he was of it all.

"Yes, you're worth it!" Stiles's vehement statement clearly stuns Derek. "I know how your mind works. Really, in the end you're not that different from my Derek, let me tell you. Sourwolves and broodywolves the both of you."

Cora snorts and Laura practically cackles, but it's the way Derek blinks, as if trying and failing to understand how Stiles's brain works exactly that makes the mage's heart melt.

"It's not your fault." Stiles turns more serious. "I know why you think it is, trust me, I know. But it's not. It's Kate's fault, it's Gerard's fault. Hunters… they're not bad, not all of them, but those two, they were rotten to their cores."

"And you killed them." Laura finishes, it's not a question.

"And I killed them." Stiles confirms.

"You pretended to be one of the Faceless Men, but you're not." It doesn't surprise Stiles when Peter is the one to make that statement.

"What makes you so sure I'm not?" Stiles cannot help but ask.

"Your speech patterns for one." Peter says. "You changed them the moment Argent left. Also, if you were truly one of the Order you would care about nothing beyond your mission. You most definitely would not care about my nephew."

"That is correct." Stiles nods. "I'm not one of the Faceless Men."

"Why pretend to be one then?" Laura asks.

"To give the Argents someone to blame, someone other than the Hale pack, that is." Stiles answers completely honest.

"You still haven't explained why you're so interested in our pack." Peter presses.

It's as if his words were some kind of cue, as two howls break the night. Stiles is on his feet and turning in the direction of the sound before he can even think about it. And he knows Lydia's reacting similarly. Derek and Jackson have arrived for them.

"It's time for us to go." Lydia announces.

Stiles waits but nothing seems to happen. Though once he focuses hard enough on the tree line he can see how there's a spot where the trees almost blur, like some kind of mirage… or a portal.

"They cannot cross through." Lydia informs him quietly. "They are what's keeping us tethered to our world. If they come through we'll all be trapped here, and that would be catastrophic."

Which means that Derek won't get the chance to see his family, or another version of his family. He doesn't know if that's better (it might just break his heart, to see them only to have to let them go again) or worse. But since there's nothing he can do to change it, there's no point on brooding on it. So instead he turns to look at the younger Derek over his shoulder, smiling at him:

"You'll be alright." He assures the teen-aged were. "I promise you Derek."

And then he's walking away. Lydia joins him as he walks past her and the both of them walk straight to where they can see the trees blurring. They can feel their mates pulling at them. Stiles turns to look at Lydia briefly, a part of him wondering if they've done enough. The look she sends back at him tells him they've done all they could, the rest will be up to them…

They're just stepping into the portals, hands clasped together, when words reach their ears:

"Derek…?" It's Laura, and she sounds worried as she addresses her brother.

"I think… I think that was my mate…" The teen-aged were whispers after what seems like forever, a mix of hope and a quiet devastation that makes Stiles's heart hurt.

In the end, there's nothing he can do. Either Derek will meet that world's version of Stiles, or he won't. It's not really up to him anymore.

**xXx**

The moment they step out on the other side Stiles finds himself being held tight in a pair of strong arms, against a very warm body, a nose buried behind his ear while a mouth worries at the curve of his neck. When fangs graze lightly his pulse point Stiles cannot help but melt completely, a moan escaping from deep inside his chest.

"Get a room!" Erica and Cora cry out dramatically.

Jackson just snorts before scooping his mate into his arm. Lydia giggles, actually giggles! And then the two are off.

"Well, if we're all safe and in the right universe, I'll be heading to bed now." Noah announces as he turns to leave, looking over his shoulder briefly before getting to where Peter's waiting beside his car. "Join us for breakfast in the morning boys."

Stiles blinks, trying to wrap his head around it all.

"Just how long were we gone?" He asks, turning to look at Derek.

"A few hours?" Derek suggests. "Not even half a day. Jackson and I both felt it, the moment the two of you vanished. He almost went nuts, especially when we couldn't track you. It was Peter who said that if magic had taken you here, we needed to use the bonds to call you back."

"So you roared." Stiles is beginning to understand what happened.

"So we roared." Derek agrees.

It's insane. He and Lydia were in the other universe for ten days, yet not even one passed in their own world, and clearly the pack has no idea where they even were… at least that's what he thinks, until Derek begins whining low in his throat.

"Der…?" Stiles turns to look straight at him, worried.

"You smell like them…" Derek whispers, nose buried into Stiles's hair. "You smell like my family. And… smoke?!"

Stiles exhales. Erica and the others are gone. They left at the same time Noah and Peter did. Which, Stiles decides, is probably a good thing. He hasn't yet decided how much to tell them, or if he should tell them at all. Will it help or only make things worse? Peter, will he feel better, knowing that in some other world Olivia survived the fire, that his child got to be born, to have a life? Or is it better for him to continue as he has until then, keep fighting to move on? Will it help his dad, to remember how much Claudia loved him? How she wanted him to be happy, even if she was no longer with him? Or will it just make him sad all over again? Stiles doesn't know, isn't sure if that's a decision he should be making at all. One thing's for sure though, he cannot hide the truth from Derek, nor would he want to.

"Morrell did a spell." Stiles explains what Lorraine and Lydia found out. "She still wanted the power from the old Nemeton. Thought that us changing the wards would give her the opportunity to take it. I… I'm not actually that clear on why the spell did what it did in the end but… we ended in another universe. A parallel world, on January of 2005…"

"January 2005…" Derek repeats, his voice sounding like the air's been punched out of him, he knows exactly what that date means.

"They're alive Der, all of them." Stiles nods, tears shining in the corners of his eyes. "We made sure of that. Kate and Gerard are dead, and I sent Chris with Cécile. The pack will be safe."

Derek says nothing, he just buries his head into Stiles's neck, and the teen can feel the tears as they fall onto his skin. It's okay, he gets it. So he says nothing, just holds his beloved tightly.

They just stand there, in that clearing, where the Nemeton once stood, for what seems like forever. Until Derek stops silently crying and Stiles stops running a hand through his hair.

"I want us to marry before I leave for college." Stiles announces.

"Stiles…" Derek begins.

"I know you think I'm too young, I know you're afraid that I'll regret it, that people might treat me differently for being married just out of high-school." Stiles enlists. "But it's what I want, it's what I believe we both want. And who cares what other people think? All that matters is what we know. We're already mated, we're forever…"

Derek calls Stiles's name several times in an attempt to cut off his tirade, and when that fails he finally just kisses Stiles to shut him up.

"Yes." He tells Stiles before he can start again. "Lets get married."

They weren't going to do it originally. Mostly because they're already mated, what difference did a paper make in the grand scheme of things? None at all. Also, they all remember Lydia's speech about how she wasn't going to marry Jackson until after she was done with school and had won at least one Fields Medal, because she didn't want anyone to look at her and try to make her out to be someone's wife, she was Lydia Martin and the world would know that. Stiles understands her line of thought, it comes from all the years with her mother making her feel like she needed to be a certain way, that she needed to find a husband, to be someone's wife in order to be happy. Lydia may understand where her mom was coming from, may have moved past all that since she revealed her genius to everyone, but a part of her still feels the need to prove herself. So she will go out into the world and make a name for herself, and once she's satisfied with that, then she'll marry the love of her life. Jackson doesn't care when they marry, he knows they will marry eventually, and Lydia is already his mate, to his wolf that's more than enough.

On that same vein, it was why Stiles and Derek were going to wait until he returned from college to marry legally. Only Stiles doesn't want to wait anymore. He wants Derek to be his husband. Wants to be able to say that he has the hottest, most awesome, most perfect husband in the world. Mate is all well and good in the supernatural world, but among humans, 'husband' in the word that they understand. And beyond what anyone else might say or think, Stiles wants it for himself. Wants to be able to call Derek his husband. It might seem foolish to some, but it's how he feels.

"It's not foolish." Derek assures him.

Stiles didn't even notice that he was speaking out-loud.

"I know sometimes it seems like we're not on the same page." Derek murmurs. "You remember the other future so clearly, all the good things and the bad. While to me all those things will never be more than dreams… most of them bad. But I promise you I love you, as much as any wolf can love their mate, I always have and I always will. And I know you love me, for me and no one else. That you love all of me, just like I love all of you."

Stiles just smiles. It's so rare, for Derek to be so verbose, but he loves it when it happens. It's not like he doesn't know Derek loves him. He does know, most of the time he doesn't even need to be told, he can feel it, in every fiber of his being, the very bond that binds them is formed by that love… still, it's nice to hear it every now and then.

"I love you too." Stiles agrees. "And I know you love me, that has never been in any doubt." He smiles gruffly. "Even if we have had our misunderstandings..."

Yes, but those were thankfully long behind them. The two of them had sat on Stiles's bed on that morning, two years prior; the very first morning Stiles got to wake up in his wolf's arms. They took the time to talk about everything. To discover how exactly it all affected Derek. He wasn't like Stiles and Lydia, he didn't travel back in time, not really. And yet, the manner of his own death, and the fact that he somehow ended in the middle of the magical circle (they weren't fully clear on how that one happened, as only True Alphas were supposed to be able to cross mountain ash barriers… then again, Derek was the 'True Alpha' this time around, so perhaps the potential was always there, they just hadn't known) did affect him. It was like pieces of that Derek had been sent back, not all of him, not like Stiles and Lydia, who'd done it on purpose; with Derek it was completely by accident, with no control and no finesse. And thus there were things that he remembered with perfect clarity (like how much he cared for his pack, how terrified he was of losing them… again), while others he couldn't fully grasp (like his understanding that the fire wasn't his fault); some things would come to him suddenly, in dreams (like when he stopped Laura from traveling to Beacon Hills, or when he blamed Peter for her death even without fully knowing why he did it), and others were just out of his reach (like Scott, the way things had gone with Issac the first time around, or Deucalion). It took a while, for Derek to be able to fully accept everything, to not fear those memories, or see them as a curse. Stiles was responsible for a lot of it. After all, how could it be a curse to remember someone like Stiles (even if he did curse himself for not doing something about him the first time around… thankfully he did make things better this time)?

"Come on, lets go home." Derek murmurs, kissing his mate's temple. "I've missed you."

Stiles doesn't mention that as far as Derek's concerned, Stiles wasn't gone for even half a day. A day or ten, he too would miss Derek. So of course he follows. They'll have the whole day to themselves and in the morning, breakfast with his dad… and perhaps they might begin to plan their wedding.

**xXx**

Stiles meets Lydia a few days later in the same clearing where the Nemeton once stood to finish the new warding. Stiles is the first to lay eyes on the tiny sprout just beginning to peak out of the earth. The same which shall grow and one day will become a new Nemeton… He and Lydia make sure to place all sort of protective spells upon it as well.

Once all the magic is done, the two teenagers end up sitting on a fallen tree-trunk, sharing some fruits and juice to up their sugar and energy levels. Lydia can tell from the start that something is eating at Stiles, but she knows him well enough to wait until he's good and ready to bring it up himself, rather than push.

"Do you think we did enough?" Stiles finally asks after what seems like forever.

"I think we did all we could with the time we were given." Lydia answers calmly. "And to set the stage for the future, but you need to know, not everything will be perfect Stiles, it cannot be." She exhales when Stiles eyes narrow. "I talked about it with Nana. I… I asked her to stop doing some of the things she's been doing, the things that pushed her powers too far too quickly and made her son send her to Eichen House. I want to believe that with her there, that version of me will have, if not an easier time, at least less trouble, when the time comes for her to receive her inheritance. Also, I do believe that with her around, she won't have to hide her genius the way I did."

"That's risky, for the other Lydia, and that Jackson I mean." Stiles points out.

"If they're true mates, like we are, they'll find a way… as will the other you and that Derek."

Stiles says nothing about it. Truth is, he cannot imagine how. Lydia and Jackson are one thing. Even if Lydia's no longer the Queen-bee, and Jackson's still a douchebag, they at least are the same age; there's a chance Jackson might mature early enough to see Lydia's value, to see her and come to love her. But Stiles and Derek? The only reason they ever met in this world the first time around was because of Peter turning Scott and then going around killing people, of course Stiles got involved in something that concerned his brother; and the second time around… well, all the future knowledge, his choices, meant the two of them were going to meet sooner or later. But in a world where there was never a Hale fire, never any insane alpha, no newly turned friend/brother that might pull Stiles into the supernatural… how were they supposed to meet? Still, there was nothing he could do about it, so he'd rather just not think about it. It was like Lydia said, they did all they could, the rest wasn't up to them.

Stiles knows there are things Lydia's not telling him. She's the most powerful banshee to ever be born, and Lorraine was no slouch either. There's no doubt in his mind that she must know things about the universe they've left behind, things about their future; about who might live and who might die. But she'll never tell him, and Stiles knows better than to ask.

**xXx**

Stiles and Derek marry under the Full Moon, in July 2013. What makes it most peculiar is the fact that the moon, a Super Full Moon, hits its zenith 11:15 am, instead of during the night. While wolves might be aware that the moon isn't always in the sky during the night, humans for the most part do not have that same knowledge, it simply holds no interest to them for the most part. But that was a wolf wedding. Even if the mating happened years prior, it's still the wedding of not just two members of the pack, but the alpha pair. And while Derek assured everyone that he would be just fine with a normal human wedding, it's Stiles who insisted on following Hale pack traditions. Hence why they all set to researching the exact time of the full moon, while Peter unearthed the old books and registries from the Hale Vault, looking for entries on weddings. Eventually it was Cora who found one, the entry on Talia's and Zachery's wedding. It brought tears to the remaining Hales' eyes, while the rest of the pack felt even more motivated to keep things as true to the old ceremonies as they could.

Lydia, being both a witch and the Hale Emissary, is in charge of the handfasting ceremony itself. She also decides to get herself ordained so as to be able to handle the legal side of the ceremony as well (they all thought it would be better than heading to the courthouse at some point, and it's perfectly legal in the State of California!).

The pack comes together in the Nemeton's clearing at 11:00 in the morning, Lydia timing it all precisely so that Derek and Stiles are saying their vows right as the full moon reaches its highest point, right above their heads… it's perfect (it's Lydia!):

"Heart to heart, mind to mind, soul and body intertwined. I call your spirit, set it free. I will it to return to me. As we mote it, so shall it be. As above, so below. As within, so without. Goddess Moon bring about this union that is asked of Thee. As we will it, blessed be."

"Blessed be!" The pack choruses with bright smiles.

Derek just cannot help himself as he lays a kiss on his mate's lips. Lydia just giggles:

"Hey, Lydia's not done, it's not time for the kissing yet!" It's Jackson who offers complaints in his own mate's name, though he too is smiling.

"Then finish already." Erica mutters under her breath, though almost everyone in the clearing can hear her loud and clear.

"Two entwined in love, bound by commitment and fear, sadness and joy, by hardship and victory, anger and reconciliation, all of which brings strength to this union." Lydia does get on with the last part of the ceremony. "Hold tight to one another through both good times and bad, and watch as your strength grows." She makes a pause, an almost wolfy smile on her lips before she finally says: "By the power vested in me by the Mother, and the State of California, I declare you spouses for life. Now you may kiss."

Stiles and Derek of course kiss, long and hard… until the catcalls finally make them pull apart.

The pack head from there to the Hale house for the party. The whole pack took care of hunting the day before and the grills are ready for a huge cook-out. Stiles is so happy he doesn't even try and stop his father from eating anything he wishes, though he does keep an eye on him to make sure he at least eats some of the healthy side-dishes along with all the meat.

The cook-out lasts the whole day and while Stiles knows that he and Derek will be taking off soon enough, he's just not quite ready to go just yet. He knows that's likely to be the last big party they'll all have before heading off for college, and he wants to enjoy it for as long as possible. Derek knows and agrees completely.

Through the whole day Stiles cannot help but look for his dad every so often. It's not even about the food. He promised himself not to bother his dad about that for the whole day (he already talked to Derek about keeping an eye on him while Stiles is away for college and his dear mate of course agreed). No, it's… Stiles wants his dad to be happy, it's all he's ever wanted (aside from wanting him alive, of course), but he can see that while his dad is probably content enough, he's not happy, not entirely. The teenager thinks he might know why. It's something that's been in his mind constantly since they returned from the other universe.

"Go…" Derek whispers straight into his ear, after placing a kiss on his mate's neck.

"What…?" Stiles is taken by surprise by that.

"To your dad, talk to him." Derek clarifies. "I know you want to. You've been wanting to do it for weeks. Go now…"

Stiles smiles, kissing his mate, his husband (and how awesome is that?!) full on the mouth, a deep but quick kiss. He so loves that Derek can understand him so completely and so easily… even without Stiles saying a thing. It's almost funny because Stiles is not exactly a quiet person, but like Derek once told him, he talks a lot, but doesn't really say anything. And that's true. Stiles can talk for hours about whatever topic is running through his head, and end up saying nothing of substance. Thing is, before Derek no one except perhaps his dad noticed that. Most just made a habit of tuning him out when Stiles began rambling, even Scott did. Derek was the first person outside of family to understand what Stiles did and why he did it, how oppressive the silence felt to him, how he felt the need to fill him, even if it was with nothing at all. Derek is the first person with whom Stiles has felt truly comfortable since the death of his mom not just saying things that truly matter to him, but also saying nothing at all. Derek makes him feel safe, and at peace. It's part of why Stiles loves him so much…

Of course Stiles also understands Derek, his obsession with quiet, his fear of saying too much, because he did once, and the results were too tragic to fully comprehend. Understands the value it holds, when Derek gathers the courage to talk about himself, and especially about his old pack, about those he lost. And when Derek finally finds it in himself to move on from the past, to forgive himself from the mistakes made, accepting that as awful a tragedy as it all was, in the end it wasn't his fault…

Stiles kisses his husband once more, then goes looking for his dad.

Noah is actually inside the house when his son finally finds him. He's standing in the kitchen, looking outside, at the bunch of teen-aged werewolves play fighting in the backyard, while their mates bet on them. Watching Peter call out suggestions and criticism in turns while beside him Malia just laughs at them all.

"You could go out there with them, you know?" Stiles cannot help but comment. "You're part of this pack too, dad."

"I know." Noah nods, but doesn't move to leave the kitchen.

"You know, mom loved you very much." Stiles blurts out.

The non-sequitur takes Noah so completely by surprise he cannot control himself as he spins around to face his son, his face showing absolute shock. They never talk about Claudia. It's an unwritten rule in the Stilinski household. The loss of Claudia almost destroyed both father and son; Noah lost himself in the drink and his own depression and despondency for longer than he'll ever be comfortable admitting, and Stiles was forced to grow up much too quickly. Noah got better, and did his best to make it up to his son, but neither of them have ever forgotten how bad things were for a while, and the memory of that is enough to keep them from talking about it, or about the cause of it all…

"I… I know we haven't really talked about what happened when Lydia and I went missing." Stiles murmurs, running a hand through his hair. "I… I've spent weeks with all sorts of thoughts turning and twisting in my head, trying to make up my mind. Even right now I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing but… this feels necessary."

"Son…" Noah has no idea what else to say.

"Morrell did… something. That part's not actually important but, as a result she, Lydia and I ended in the past… or rather, another world's past. In January of 2005 to be precise…"

"January of…" Noah's voice trails off as his mind catches up with what that means.

"You remember that old playground mom used to take me to every day when I was little? The one at the end of the street?"

"I remember. It was ruined by that awful storm…"

"Yeah… I… I didn't actually plan it but I found my way there. I saw her, and little me too. I… I talked to her."

"What…?!"

"I didn't actually plan it! I knew I couldn't interfere, not with her. What happened… much as I might hate it, it was natural, I couldn't change it. So I did my best to focus on what I could change, while Lydia researched ways to get us back home… but I just… I wanted to see her, wanted to take the memory of her with me when I left. And then days passed, and I kept seeing her there. After… after the day when she was supposed to go to the hospital…" Stiles speaks faster and faster as his nervousness takes over. "I wasn't thinking, I ended going straight to her. Turns out she knew I was there, she'd seen me. And she knew who I was." He laughs, wet with un-shed tears. "She actually asked me if I thought she could not know her own son! Turns out Lydia approached her, gave her a tincture… it was no cure, nothing can cure frontotemporal dementia… but it protected her memories." He exhales. "That's why she didn't have to be hospitalized. Because she wasn't forgetting things anymore."

"So then she…"

"She'll still die, but she'll still be mom when she does." He shook his head. "I'm not saying this to make you sad dad but… she asked me to make sure you were alright. And that's what I'm trying to do so…"

"Son… I know you want what's best for me. Just like I want what's best for you, but sometimes there's just nothing that can be done…"

"Mom loved you very much…"

"I know." Noah does his best to hold back his sob, but Stiles can still hear it. "Just like I loved her, I still do, and I always will."

"You know, she wouldn't want you to mourn her forever. She doesn't want that. I know, because she told me. And I know… I know that the woman I talked to isn't actually my mom but… it's still a version of her, so it should still count right? She told me to make sure you're happy… and right now you're not happy dad. And you can be. I know you can…"

It's just for a moment, but Noah's eyes stray to the window, to those outside, to two very specific people… Stiles knows, he's known for a while.

"I know you love Peter." Stiles blurts out.

"Wha… Stiles!" Noah has no idea what else to say.

"And I think he loves you too." His son pushes on. "I… you know that's alright, right? Mom loved you, and she knows you loved her. But she wants you to be happy, to move on. You can love Peter, and that doesn't mean you have to stop loving her. It just means you love him too. And that's just fine."

He doesn't mention Olivia. That's one topic he knows would bring them nothing. Not with his dad, and not with Peter. With his dad it's one thing, because Stiles knows that there has to be something stopping his dad from moving on, and he thinks it might be the memory of Claudia, that he might feel like he cannot move on, like he would be betraying her if he does. But that's not right, which is why Stiles finally decided to tell him about his and Lydia's little trip to the other past. But Peter… what good would telling him that in another world his wife and baby are alive do? None at all. And he is moving on, he doesn't need that knowledge, not like Noah probably does. Which is why Stiles has decided not to tell him, and why he put up a little privacy spell the moment he entered the house, to ensure no one from the pack can hear what they're talking about exactly (the wolves can still hear their heartbeats, they'd probably all go nuts if they couldn't… they just cannot hear the words being said).

"Stiles…" Noah murmurs, seemingly not knowing what else to say.

"It's alright dad…" Stiles assures him.

It still takes the teenager by surprise when his dad goes to him, pulling him by the neck towards him, embracing him tight with one arm, before placing a kiss on Stiles's brow.

"You know I'll always love you too son, right?" Noah asks quietly.

"I know." Stiles nods softly. "Love you too."

Noah says nothing else, he just turns around and walks out of the kitchen and into the backyard. He says nothing at all to anyone, heading straight to Peter, where he cups the slightly shorter man's face in both hands and kisses him full on the mouth. Peter takes just a fraction of a second before getting on with the program, winding one arm around Noah's neck and the other around his back, pressing his whole body to the older man's and answering the kiss wholeheartedly. They both ignore their daughter's loud catcalls, which are soon followed by the rest of the pack's, only pulling away when oxygen becomes a necessity.

"I… I wasn't expecting that." Peter admits quietly when Noah presses their foreheads together.

Noah says nothing, just opens his eyes and arches a brow.

"I wanted it!" Peter hurries to add, along with a short, chaste kiss for confirmation. "Of course I wanted it. I just… wasn't sure you'd ever be ready."

"I wasn't sure either." Noah admits.

"I would have waited for you forever." Peter assures him.

Noah says nothing more. There's no need for any more words. Peter knows that Stiles is connected somehow, and just raises his head, searching for his nephew (Stiles is as much his nephew as Derek, was even before the two finally married) silently. He finally sees Stiles as he reaches Derek's side, kissing his new husband before they both turn to the rest of the pack. Stiles and Peter's eyes eventually meet, just for a moment, but it's enough. Peter nods once, both a thank you for whatever was said, and a promise that he will love Noah. It's not a confirmation Stiles needs, he knows Peter's not the kind to do things halfway. His dad neither. The two deserve to be happy, and now they have the chance.

"You happy now?" Derek asks his husband quietly, laying kisses on one side of his neck.

"Oh, I was already happy." Stiles assures him, tilting his neck to give his love more room. "Now… I'm ecstatic."

"You're ridiculous." Derek snorts.

"Maybe." It doesn't bother Stiles, he knows what he is and he owns it, always has. "But I'm Your ridiculous husband."

"That you are." Derek agrees wholeheartedly. "My husband… all mine."

Yeah, life's absolutely perfect…

**xXx**

In another world, another time, Claudia walks down the street, her little Mischief's hand held tightly in hers. The new park they're going to is a different one from the one they used to go, but that one was damaged during the most recent thunderstorm, with a tree actually falling on and ruining a swing-set and two slides after being hit by lightning. And, according to the Mayor, there is no budget for new ones. So, after a few days going nowhere, and after her son almost drove both her and Noah mad with his restlessness, Claudia decided it was time they found a new playground. It's entirely coincidental that said park is located in the middle of the Historic sector of town, and right across the street from the local library, where none other than Talia Hale happens to be the Head Librarian (and the one in charge of restoring books and artifacts that concern the history of the town).

Talia's having a bit of a hard day… then again, she cannot help but think that every day since her whole family got almost burned alive has been hard. Though, surprisingly enough, it wasn't precisely for that. On that front they were lucky enough to be able to count on two such staunch protectors, even if they haven't the slightest idea who they even were, where they came from, nothing at all. No, the part that has made Talia feel like every day is so hard, are the words that came from her son's mouth shortly after the Emergency Services arrived; too late to do anything more than confirm that the house was empty and there were no injured (which was only possible at all because Chris Argent had the presence of mind to take his father's body with him when leaving, while Talia's family made sure to dispose of the other hunters, and the witch… nothing was left of her but ashes by the time the other girl was done with her):

" _It's my fault… it's all my fault…"_

Everyone in the pack heard the words the Traveler, the boy who pretended to be a Faceless Man when talking to Argent, said to Derek, but no one understood, not until Derek came clean to her. About the French Teacher: Miss Kathy Vermeil, the twenty-something year old woman who seduced her son when he was grieving and vulnerable after the tragic death of his girlfriend, who effectively raped him and extracted from him information that she later intended to use to kill the Hale pack. Except the 'Faceless Man' got to her first, and then Gerard arrived…

Talia was furious, absolutely livid. And the worst was that there was no one for her to take her anger out on. Because those who went after her pack are all dead, and those who might share the name even if they weren't involved are long gone as well. And her son is so absolutely terrified that she might blame him… So Talia has to be careful what she does or says around the others, the last thing she needs is for Derek to end up even more traumatized.

It was Peter's idea for them all to go to the park in the weekends. Hoping perhaps that the humans around them might provide adequate distraction. Also, she knew, he wanted them to become more visible, believing that it might make it harder for Hunters to target them in the future, if they were well entrenched in the community. So it became habit that every Saturday, after she's finished with her half-day of work, Talia will cross the street to the biggest park in Beacon Hills and join her husband, children, brother and his own pregnant wife to have a picnic lunch and play for a while. They actually have fun most of the time, and her younger children are learning to act human sooner than they usually would, probably a good thing, in the end.

It also helped when Lorraine Martin paid her a visit, telling her about the young were-coyote girl, trapped in the shift for two years. The moment Talia found her and coaxed her back into human form she knew exactly who it was: Malia, her brother's child… a child Peter has no memory of, because Talia deemed it too dangerous. She knew the Coyote assassin would return, and the last thing she needed was for her her pack to be in danger. Also, a part of her had wanted to believe that the girl would be safe if no one knew where she was… so much for that idea, considering that her mother and sister were dead and her father was sent to a psychiatric hospital.

In the end, Talia was honest with Peter (though mostly at Zach's insistence). Peter was quite furious with her, but the moment Malia entered the room (and then went and clung to him with all the strength her child-body was capable of), all that was forgotten. Via was very understanding and quite willing for them to take the girl in. Malia's still having some trouble dealing with it all, especially the idea of a soon-to-be-born sibling, but Peter is so good at being a dad… more than Talia ever imagined possible. It makes the Alpha feel regretful, for having taken the chance away from her brother for a decade, and thankful to Mrs. Martin for going to her.

Spring comes, flowers everywhere, especially the parks, which can be a bit hard on the wolves (so much pollen) but, surprisingly enough, the children seem to love it. Talia's just entering the playground, seeing her two youngest, the twins: Jeremy and Joshua, pulling at Derek, trying to convince him to play with them when a female voice takes them by surprise:

"Stiles! Get down from there!"

It's a woman's voice. A voice none of them recognize. What some of them do know is the name… it's the same name the Girl-traveler called the boy once…

"But Mama…" A high-pitched (young, so very young) voice begins.

"Get down before you fall…" The woman insists.

The wolves track her down then. The woman has somewhat-brittle chestnut brown hair pulled back into a messy twist at the nape of her neck, her skin looks like it used to be tanned but has been losing that golden shade, probably due to not being out in the sun as often. She's wearing jeans and a pink jersey, with pink flip-flops; her amber eyes are straight on the boy with hair of a brown a shade or two darker than hers and eyes identical to hers, dressed in khaki-shorts and a dark-red t-shirt with yellow lightning in the front and red sneakers, who's perched on a tree-branch. It takes a second longer for Talia to notice the branch is breaking…

Derek is moving before either of his parents, or uncle Peter can even think about it. He runs fast, almost too fast, reaching the foot of the tree (sliding over the dirt and leaves the last few feet), just in time to catch the boy as the branch he's on finishes breaking, then rolling sideways with him held carefully in his arms, just in time to avoid the branch actually hitting either of them.

"Stiles!" The mother cries out, terrified.

By the time Derek is on his feet, with the boy still in his arms, the whole family has converged on them. The kid is holding tightly onto Derek, face buried into his neck and eyes tightly shut.

"Stiles!" Claudia repeats one more time. "Oh thank you so much! I thought for sure my baby was going to get killed! Or a bone broken or… or…"

"It's alright ma'am, he's fine…" Derek assures her, placing the boy in her arms.

It actually takes a second or two for Stiles to let go of Derek, but once he does he turns to hold onto his mother. Terrified after his fall. Claudia holds the boy tightly, taking turns to kiss his hair, berate him in a mix of English and Polish, then embrace him tighter, over and over again.

Peter actually chuckles. Derek says nothing, but he stays where he is.

"Oh, sorry, where are my manners?" Claudia asks as she notices everyone. "I am Claudia Stilinski, and this is my son, Stiles."

"Stilinski… any relation to our favorite Sheriff-to-be?" Peter asks, curiosity shining in his eyes.

"He's my husband." Claudia nods with a smile.

"What kind of name is Stiles?" Cora asks, confused.

"My name is really, really strange." The boy explains. "Very few people can pronounce it. Not even my teachers can! So I decided to just be called Stiles."

"Try me!" Cora challenges.

The mothers say nothing. Content to watch their children get to know each other:

"Mieczyslaw Stilinski." The boy announces proudly.

"Mic… Miec… My…" Cora truly tries several times to pronounce it, but keeps getting it wrong.

"Told you." Stiles smirks at her. "Just call me Stiles."

"I'm Cora." The girl offers her hand. "Those are my brothers: Jer, Josh, and Derek. I also have a sister but she's somewhere with her friends. Oh… and my cous, Malia…" when the girl won't come out from behind Peter's back, she adds: "She's really shy…"

"You have so many siblings and even a cousin?" Stiles asks, fascinated. "That's awesome! Mom and dad have no siblings, and I'm an only child, so it's always been just me… and Scott, but he cannot come to play right now, he has asthma and it can get really bad…"

Claudia smiles. She knows Stiles cares very much about Scott, they're best friends after all. And there's Heather too. But she's always felt like her son should have more than just two friends. Perhaps this is her chance.

Talia cannot believe their luck. As shocking as her son's confession regarding his relationship with Kate Argent (even if he hadn't known at the time that she was an Argent) might have been, it hadn't been the biggest shock of the night. No, that place was reserved for the other words to come out of his mouth, right after the Travelers disappeared through the magic-portal:

" _I think that was my mate…"_

Talia has spent the last few weeks trying to think of some way to find him, to find his son's mate, (or, if her brother's theory holds and the Travelers were from another world, to find their world's version of the boy at least) and all to no avail. Only for the boy to, well… basically land in her son's lap?! If she couldn't smell quite clearly how completely human both mother and child are (there's the potential for magic in both of them, though stronger in the kid, and she can also perceive the sourness of sickness in the mother, as well as herbs, probably due to some kind of remedy; and then there are the chemicals that indicate some kind of medication in the boy) she would think it a bit too convenient.

Of course Talia cannot know that while the Traveler (the other Stiles) never told the alternate version of his mother everything, he did end up saying enough for her to deduce his connection to the Hales, and that it was very important to him. Claudia doesn't know if it's meant to be love or friendship, and with whom exactly, but she knows it was important for the other version of her son, so she'll do what she can so her little Mischief will get the chance too. Which is why, when she heard Noah's comment on how good it was to see the Hales recovering after their recent tragedy and how it had become common to see them in the big playground across the street from the Library every Saturday afternoon… Claudia began making a plan. It wasn't that much of a plan, she could admit to herself, nothing more than being there with her son and hopefully find a way to for their two families to meet. Yet it seemed that Fate chose to smile upon her, so she'd be happy about that. The rest was up to the kids…

"Come play with us!" Josh calls right then, immediately seconded by his twin.

"Yeah!" Jer agrees. "Maybe if you come Der will play with us too!"

"May I? Mom?" Stiles barely remembers to ask before running before running after the two boys.

"Sure, of course." Claudia nods immediately.

She cannot help but smile as not just Derek, but Cora and eventually Malia join in and soon they are all running around. There don't seem to be any rules to the game, other than running around and screaming but they're having fun, and in the end that's all that truly matters to the adults.

"So… Mrs. Stilinski…" Talia begins.

"Please, call me Claudia." The younger mother cuts her off.

"I'm Talia." The Alpha smiles at her. "My husband Zachery, my brother Peter; and his wife, Olivia, is sitting over there. It would seem our children have become good friends."

"It would seem so." Claudia agrees. "I'm glad. Stiles has so few friends… I worry sometimes…"

Talia just smiles at her. She has no idea what the human has, but there's no doubt in her mind that she's sick, and it's serious. She'll have to seek out some counsel… though she hasn't the slightest idea from whom exactly, their Emissary up and left rather abruptly a few weeks ago, with no warning, explanation, nothing at all; and Talia hasn't found anyone to take his place yet, though she knows Peter's looking through his contacts.

"Would you like to join us?" Talia offers unexpectedly.

Claudia may not know it right then, but the offer is about more than just Claudia joining them for a picnic lunch. Even if Talia hasn't talked about it with her pack, she knows they all will agree, they cannot let go of the boy who might be Derek's mate. It would seem their pack just got bigger. It's amazing really, how just a few moons ago they came so close to losing everything, their own lives included and now… now they are growing, and thriving… it's perfect.

Hours later Deputy Stilinski joins them, walking there from the station (Claudia has the jeep with her). He's quite surprised when seeing her sitting on a picnic bench chatting with several parents. A surprise that only grows when he turns to the sound of delighted shrieks and sees his son run past, arms flailing around, while he's pursued by more than half a dozen children and a teenager who seems to be doing his best to make sure none of them fall and break something… half of them he's quite sure are Hales, though the boy with the dark-blonde ringlets definitely isn't a Hale, nor is the blonde girl who right then takes a moment to stop beside a tree, panting, though she never stops smiling, or the African American boy and the two girls…

"Hey honey…" Claudia rushes to him the moment she sees him, kissing him in the mouth.

"Hello my love…" Noah replies, kissing her back with a smile.

He knows his wife is sick, he knows he's probably going to lose her some day soon… then again, the doctors who said that were also sure she'd forget everything and essentially lose her mind even before death came for her, which hasn't happened… In any case, every day he gets to hold her in his arms, to kiss her, is such a blessing… one he'll never stop being thankful for.

"Seems like our son has made a few friends." Noah comments.

"I know, isn't that great?" Claudia smiles bright and wide. "Come on. Come meet the Hales, Laheys, Reyeses, and Boyds."

And what can Noah do but follow the love of his life? It's all he's ever wanted to do, and he'll take great pleasure in doing it for as long as he can (what he doesn't know yet is that that time might end up being a tad longer than either he, or Claudia, expected…).

**Author's Note:**

> So... are you happy? I certainly am. Technically this time the traveling was into another world, rather than just back in the same one, but still. It matters.
> 
> Regarding the words Lydia says during the wedding; the latter half of the speech is part of one of many handfasting ceremonies I've read through the years. It fit with this version of Stiles and Derek, I think. The earlier half. on the other hand (the vows) is a slightly modified (only with the Goddess Moon thing) part of a poem written by Leslie C. Bertrand, Paradoxical Phoenix, dated on September 9th, 2019. I was looking for something that had the whole 'heart to hear, mind to mind...' and that one came up in a facebook post. I loved it. When I tried looking it up again to possibly give a link to the original post as I was writing these notes I couldn't find it anymore. I hope there's no problem with me using it anyway and if the original writer ever wishes me to take it out I will. I hope it'll be alright though, I just loved the feeling those words gave me (and wanted to do something different from the vows I've been using in most of my weddings for years now).
> 
> For those wondering where the 'Faceless Men' thing came from. My mom and sister were binge-watching GoT while I was writing this. It was the season where Arya is in Bravoos, training to be one of them and it fit perfectly (originally I was going to make references to the Fraternity from Wanted, but GoT was heavy in my brain so...).
> 
> In case anyone was confused when Stiles said he couldn't do anything for his mom because her death was natural and fate, and then it's implied that she would be saved... I had a different conclusion for that world at first. Olivia would have her child, a son, and she would die either giving birth or shortly afterwards, Peter would be drowning in depression, with Claudia stepping in to look after both Malia and the new baby as best as she could, until Peter worked through his grief and got better. Then Claudia would die of a stroke. The shock so great, as she never seemed to have any symptoms Noah had almost forgotten she was sick, and so he falls into the same hole as the other version of him did in the original timeline, until Peter goes and snaps him out of it forcefully (he's not the kind to stand there and be kind like they were with him). Still, that would have been the basis for their eventual relationship in this other universe. Where Stiles would grow up with Malia and Oliver as his little siblings (Malia keeping Scott in line whenever he gets too self-righteous, while Stiles focusing on Oliver means he'd never pay more attention than necessary to Scott, he already has a brother).
> 
> That was the original idea, but then I was writing the meeting between Claudia and Talia and I couldn't help but have Talia invite Claudia to join them and I was all, and it doesn't need to be just for one day! There's still much that isn't known about Frontotemporal Dementia, even less was known back in 2005; Stiles knew magic wouldn't work but even he wasn't sure about the bite. Also, Lorraine herself had already said the world's fate was up for grabs so... What can I say? In the end I wanted a world where they all lived happily...
> 
> For those wondering why Deaton disappeared. You don't really think Lydia spent the whole week and a half researching with her grandmother something she never found her answer to, do you? I imagine her and Lorraine realizing on the third day at the latest that they need to be called back, and then moving onto other pursuits. Like learning from each other, Lydia telling her grandmother about all the things she discovered, like Lorraine tells her the things Lydia might not know because she's never had anyone to teach her. And on that front, I imagine Lorraine following the advice and not exceeding her own limits, thus staying around and being a good influence on that universe's Lydia; and if eventually her granddaughter needed a nudge here or there to meet her 'soul-brother', Lorraine has no trouble doing that too (no such thing would be needed between her and Jackson, those two are soulmates regardless of anything else).
> 
> So, this is it people. Time River is officially finished. I hope you've all enjoyed this, I certainly had a great time writing it. I'd love it if you were to leave comments/reviews for me one last time. And thank you all for reading!
> 
> P.S. In a few months I'll be posting another TW fic, it's a crossover with the MCU and while it's technically an AU to my Nightingale series, you will be able to read it as a Stand Alone. The premise for that fic is as follows: What if Peter had a daughter (older than Malia, a human daughter? How would loving her change him? What if Derek loved her like a sister? What would that mean for him? How much can the history of the Hale pack change when they gain their first ever human member?


End file.
